


Of Soul Mates & Decisions

by skargasm



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Baking, Comedy, Fanart, Fluff, M/M, Peter Hale Being an Asshole, Peter Hale is a Little Shit, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Stiles Stilinski Being an Asshole, Stiles Stilinski is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25377535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skargasm/pseuds/skargasm
Summary: When you hit 18, your soul-mate link kicks in and you can make decisions for them and vice versa. Some of them are good decisions, some of them are bad, but hopefully, they all lead to your meeting the person fate has decided for you. What happens when two assholes are soul-linked and are less than mature in how they deal with it?
Relationships: Chris Argent/Derek Hale, Cora Hale/Scott McCall, Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 219
Kudos: 1066





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TummySassAndAss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TummySassAndAss/gifts).



> Thank you to Tummysassandass for the prompt - let's hope I can live up to how funny/epic it sounds!
> 
> * * *

[ ](https://imgur.com/Ba0P5HR)

* * *

Stiles’ soulmate is an asshole. The biggest asshole to ever asshole. 

The morning of his 18th birthday and he knows exactly what he’s going to have for breakfast. He’s been planning it for weeks: his Dad is being allowed a morning off of his diet-plan and they are heading to the local diner to have curly fries, fried eggs, bacon and as much coffee as Stiles can consume before he has to go to school. It’s a thing. It’s his birthday thing.

And yes, turning 18 is a special birthday for so many reasons. But the main one of them is that his soul-mate link kicks in and he gets to find out just what kind of person fate has in store for him.

He’d half been hoping for Derek Hale because the man is hot like fire, but when Derek’s birthday came around three months ago, he’d suddenly starting dressing like G.I Joe, and since Stiles didn’t have a particular army kink, he figured that was him out of the equation. 

When you hit eighteen, your soul-mate could play a role in your decisions. Not all of them – you still had free will. And it could be completely and utterly random: what you had for breakfast; the clothes you wore that day; whether you went to visit your Great Aunt Mildred who always wore bright red lipstick that strayed into the fine lines around her mouth and left an indelible mark on your cheek when she insisted on kissing you. 

So, Stiles should not have been surprised when the morning of his 18th birthday, he found himself digging through the back of his closet to find ‘the suit’. His one good suit, a present from his grandparents on his Dad’s side. It was a lovely suit: three-piece, dark silver-grey, very smart. It was not, however, how Stiles wanted to dress today. 

“Holy shit, kiddo, where are we going for breakfast – the Ritz?!”

“Ha ha, laugh it up, old man! I know for a fact the day Mom turned 18, she made you go to work in your smurf boxer shorts and nothing else.”

“She wanted to be sure to spot me.”

“ **Everyone** spotted you – there are still photos in the soul-mates hall of fame of you in your Smurf boxers and Mom in a Tigger onesie!” His Dad smiled at the memory, and Stiles decided that maybe his soul-mate wasn’t a _complete_ asshole. 

Until breakfast. 

His Dad drove – when your soul-mate kicked in, sometimes it could screw with your ability to concentrate so it was safer all around. The diner smelt absolutely delicious and Stiles was salivating at just the thought of that crispy bacon hitting his taste-buds.

“Granola, a wholewheat bagel with cream cheese and decaf coffee?” Stiles looked up at his father.

“I – I’m sorry kiddo! You know – that looks a lot like what you make me eat for breakfast.”

“But – it’s my birthday! Curly fries – coffee, proper coffee!” Stiles wailed even as he closed the menu and watched the waitress disappearing with all hope of having his special breakfast. And she was laughing. 

“Well – at least you know they’re healthy.” Stiles glared at his Dad, wincing at the cream he was liberally pouring into his own, non-decaf coffee. “Stiles – it’ll settle down. Especially once you figure out who it is.”

“Yeah – like _anyone_ I go to school with would subject themselves to this for breakfast!” 

Stiles stared down at his plate as the waitress walked away, mournfully comparing it to his father’s. The bacon looked amazing, the eggs were perfectly sunny side up and the curly fries were practically glowing with grease and unhealthiness. He took a spoonful of his Granola and considered bitterly just who was this evil.

* * *

“Er, Uncle Peter?”

“Yes, Derek?”

“I thought you were in court today.” Peter gave a heavy sigh, even as he carefully flipped the perfectly cooked bacon onto his plate. 

“I am in court today.”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you look more like you’re going for a motorbike ride.” Peter looked down at his outfit. Derek was right: the tee-shirt and jeans he was wearing _were_ more suitable to jumping onto his bike than going to Beacon Hills Courthouse to take a deposition, but fate had decided to be an evil bitch. It would appear that it was his soulmate's birthday. Which meant that they were eighteen and dressed like a frat-boy. A nerdy frat-boy at that. Peter had actually found himself wondering if he possessed a flannel shirt that morning – fortunately, whoever it was had changed their mind and _allowed_ him a small glimmer of sartorial autonomy.

“Is there enough bacon to go around or did you need the whole pig for yourself?” Peter looked up as his sister walked into the room, wearing what appeared to be a full Wonder Woman costume. Sometimes his brother-in-law had the most bizarre sense of humour. 

“I would share but apparently I need **all** the bacon today.”

“Really? Oh Peter, that is so exciting! We must celebrate – wait, does that mean they’ve only just turned 18?”

“It would appear so.”

“Well – that’s going to be interesting.”

“That’s not the word that came to mind, but it’s far more polite.” Talia sniggered even as she reached for some coffee, before appearing to change her mind and taking out the packet of green tea. 

“Damian on a health kick?”

“Yes – and he _knows_ I didn’t sleep well last night and could do with some coffee. It’s fine – wait until he sees what I picked out for him to wear today!” Talia gave an evil smile even as she wrinkled her nose at the scent of the tea she had made wafted up to her. She turned to look at her son. “Derek – are you ever going to try to find your soul-mate, or are you going to spend the rest of this year dressing like you’re on the cover of hunter’s weekly?”

“It’s not my fault! I get the feeling they don’t _want_ me to find them yet! Besides, I thought this shade of green suited my eyes.”

“It does, darling, but – must you really wear quite so many weapons when you’re out of school? You’re starting to look like a survivalist and your Aunt said the other day she saw you messing about with a sonic emitter. You know that messes up the little ones ears.”

“I didn’t set it off – I just liked holding it.”

“Freud would have a field day,” said Peter as he settled himself at the table, enjoying the rich, dark coffee despite himself. He had almost forgotten just how lovely it was to begin the day with a hot cup of coffee.

“What did you say?”

“He said your sonic emitter is a phallic symbol and you just need to find your soul-mate and bone already!” Cora said as she strutted into the kitchen. 

“Thank you – that will be enough of that, young lady!”

“Well, when I turn 18, you can bet I’m going to find my soul-mate as quickly as possible – I don’t want some complete stranger having control over my life!”

“You better hope that they’re in this country then, hadn’t you?!”

“Bite your tongue, Derek!” They were all still a little sensitive about the fact that Laura had disappeared off to Peru after she had received a particularly intense need to visit. It was often the way that soul-mates were not close geographically, but up until then, they had been lucky to remain in the US. “Peter – are those curly fries? For breakfast?”

“Don’t give me that look – I well remember you consuming your bodyweight in chocolate for breakfast a few times!”

“That was – “

“It _wasn’t_ Damian, because I asked him about it once! Shame on you for using your soul-mate as an excuse!” Talia simply laughed and headed out of the kitchen. “Derek – I wonder if you would consider doing me a small favour?”

“Nope.”

“But I haven’t even asked yet.”

“I know what it is and I’m not doing it!”

“But it’s such a simple request!”

“Uncle Peter – I do not want to scour my school for whoever fate has decided is evil enough to keep up with you! Besides, half of the fun is in figuring it out – what kind of nephew would I be if I just _told_ you who it was?!” 

“A good one.” Peter sat and thought for a moment. “You know – I might have an idea about yours.”

“That is low, even for you Uncle Peter!”

“But it’s true! I could give you some serious clues – “

“La lalalalalal I’m not listening! It’ll happen when it happens – and in the meantime, it’s keeping some of the predatory girls in school off of my back, so all good.”

“Cora – “

“Nope.”

Draining his coffee mug, Peter tried to decide just how he was going to get himself invited to the school to see if he could spot any likely suspects. This was not going to be as simple as finding out who was having a birthday today – this was going to take some effort. With a sigh, he headed off to work – his colleagues were going to have a field-day.

* * *


	2. Wolfy

[ ](https://imgur.com/gTEdXgK)

* * *

”Any luck at school yesterday?” Stiles looked over at his Dad and shook his head. 

“Nope. Not a single person was dressed any differently to normal.”

“Well – did you go for something _distinctive_?” Noah wondered if he should even put the idea into his kid’s mind but – well, he’s curious. He’d like to know just who fate has decided is a good match for his son. 

“What do you mean – distinctive?”

“Well – some teenager shovelling coffee and copious amounts of junk food down their neck is hardly going to be noticeable. Maybe you need to go for something – different.” Stiles seemed to be considering his words, playing with his scrambled eggs absent-mindedly.

“I guess I could – I mean, it’s not like it would be difficult to spot someone if I made an effort. But – maybe I don’t _want_ to find the kind of person who eats the way they do – I mean, Dad, that breakfast yesterday was a travesty!”

Noah gave his son a look, as the breakfast Stiles had been forced to consume had indeed looked a lot like what Stiles normally made him eat. 

“Okay, I mean, yes, I can see why you’d think – anyway, does that mean they’re like, an octogenarian or something?”

“I’m not _that_ old!”

“Sorry, Pops!”

“And no – it doesn’t mean they’re that much older than you. Just – maybe they’re looking after their health.”

“I guess.” Stiles took a forkful of scrambled eggs but forgot to eat them as he asked his next question. “How does this work, anyway? Do I just – I don’t know – _think_ really hard about what I want them to wear? Or – “

“It’s kinda hard to put into words, kiddo. I just found that some mornings, I really wanted your mother to be comfortable, or look – well, sexy, I suppose – and things went from there. It’s a mind connection.”

“Oh. Okay. Well – let me give this a try.” Noah managed to restrain himself from telling Stiles he looked like he was constipated as his son spent a couple of minutes concentrating very hard. Somehow, he found himself feeling really sorry for whoever Stiles’ soul-mate was because by the grin on his son’s face, whatever he had been thinking wasn’t anything good.

* * *

”I’m not going to work today.” Talia turned and saw Peter had popped his head around the doorway to the kitchen.

“Why?”

“Just – because.”

“Peter – “

“I don’t feel well.” She gave her brother a look, then put down the dishes she had been washing and dried her hands. 

“Come on – it can’t be that bad.” Peter scowled at her, then stepped into the room and she tried very hard not to laugh. Well, maybe not that hard but – well. “You er – did you do something else to him yesterday?”

“NO! I swear, once I realised we were influencing each other’s choices I tried very hard not to think about him at all.”

“But – “

“But, nothing! Whoever he is, he’s a little shit who needs a good spanking!” Looking over her brother’s attire, Talia couldn’t help but agree. The onesie her brother was wearing had been a gag gift from the children on his last birthday and to her knowledge, he had never worn it. The wolf-onesie was dark grey in colour, with huge white fangs and dopey looking eyes. The whole ensemble was completed with wolf-feet slippers. Quick as thought, she grabbed her cell and took a photo. “Destroy that!”

“Not a chance – I’m sending it to the family WhatsApp!”

“I thought you were on my side!” 

“Huh! You’ve obviously forgotten just how much of a dick you were to me while we were growing up!” She pressed send quickly before Peter could wrestle the cell from her grasp. “There, all gone! You might as well go to work – it’s not as though you’re the only person whose soul-mate has a sense of humour!”

“It was bad enough yesterday. The judge almost cited me for contempt of court until I explained.”

“You had to explain?”

“Yes. She made me explain, out loud, for the whole court-room to hear.”

“Well, that’s strange! Most people would have understood exactly what was going on and not commented. Who was it?”

“Michelle.”

“Ah – is that the judge you dated and dumped?”

“Are you attempting to say her actions were justified?”

“Nope – just that it would appear that all of your chickens are coming home to roost!” She gave her brother a quick hug. “There, there, honey – maybe you’ll find out who it is sooner rather than later and things will settle down.”

“Yeah, and pigs might fly.”

“Do they feel – close?”

“Yes, they do actually. Which surprisingly doesn’t help because you would not believe the number of youths in the county who turned eighteen yesterday. Or in the last week. I spoke to one of the Soul-Mate Advisors and they told me that sometimes the link doesn’t kick in immediately, which means that whoever they are might have turned eighteen anytime in the last week. That did not help me narrow down the search.”

“What about Derek and Cora? Could they not help you out?”

“You need to have a word with your children – neither of them were willing to scope out the school for me. Unhelpful brats.”

“I’ve warned you so many times in the past that you shouldn’t tease them so.”

“Yes, yes – now’s the chance for everyone to get in their I told you so’s.” Peter sighed. “I better get to work – maybe he’ll let me change?”

“Or maybe you’ll get into the spirit of this and just enjoy being relatively comfortable all day instead of wearing a three piece suit. Not everyone feels the need to dress up as much as you do!”

She laughed at the one finger salute Peter gave her as he left the room, then returned to washing the breakfast dishes.

* * *

Standing in the queue for lunch, Stiles smiled when he realised that they had curly fries. Perhaps the day was looking up. By the time he’d paid for his lunch and made his way to his seat, he decided that his soul-mate was either a sadist or just a complete butt-munch.

“Stiles – why are you eating the mystery-meat?” Scott plopped into the seat next to him, his lunch looking far more appetising than anything that Stiles had on his tray.

“Because.”

“Because what? Does this have something to do with why you were all dressed up yesterday?”

“Ssh, Scott, don’t tell the whole world!”

“I’m not telling the whole world – I just didn’t think the guidance counsellor insisted you dress up in a full suit for no – oh my God, you got your soul-link!”

“Say it a little louder – I don’t think the people three towns over heard you!”

“Why aren’t you happy? I thought you’d be ecstatic! I would be – I can’t wait until my birthday comes around!”

“Well, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be! Did you _see_ how they made me dress yesterday? I looked like I was going to court!” The sound of loud laughter made Stiles turn around, coming face to face with Derek Hale. “What’s so funny?”

“Absolutely nothing. Um – belated happy birthday, Stiles.”

“Thanks.”

“So, your soul-link kicked in?” Stiles looked at Derek quizzically. They’d never really conversed – Derek was a jock and hung around with the lacrosse and basketball team mainly. Stiles tended to admire his physique from afar. 

“Yeah, yesterday. And the complete dick made me wear a three piece suit! He better not do it again – I only own the one!”

“Any ideas who it might be?”

“Not a one.”

“Hmm. Hey, wanna come to mine later? We could do the chemistry homework together?”

“I’ve already done it, but thanks.”

“Oh – well, another time then.”

“Yeah, thanks dude.” With a smile, Derek walked away, pulling out his cell and making a call as he did so. Turning back to his table, Stiles exchanged a look of confusion with Scott. “What the hell was that all about?”

“Do you think it was him?”

“Hell, no! Besides, his soul-link kicked in a few months back – that’s why he looks like a recruitment poster for hunter’s anonymous.” Stiles looked at his lunch mournfully. “If this keeps up, I’m going to die of malnutrition.”

“Don’t be an ass – there must be something nutritional in that otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed to serve it so regularly.” As he spoke, Scott was shoving curly fries into his mouth quickly.

“You’re not going to share _any_ of those, are you?”

“I have lacrosse practice after school – I need the energy.”

“What do you need energy for – all you do is sit on the bench!”

“Sorry, Stiles – look, all gone!”

“I hate you.”

* * *

Noah walked out of the offices of Hale and Argent, pulling out his sunglasses as he headed towards his car. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peter Hale’s navy blue Ford Shelby Cobra pull into the car park and he stopped to admire the sleek lines of the vehicle as it passed him. About to get into the cruiser, he saw Peter climb out of the car wearing what looked like a wolf-onesie. For a moment, his brain whited out as he remembered the look on his son’s face only that morning. 

“Oh fuck my life, no!”

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

[ ](https://imgur.com/Rt1MMoK)

“This isn’t funny!”

“Oh come on, Noah, it totally is!”

“It’s not your eighteen-year-old son!”

“Now, to be fair, I’m facing the same thing with Derek.” Talia brought the mugs of coffee over to the table, passing one over to Noah who accepted it with a smile.

“Oh, so you know – “

“That’s it Chris? Yes, of course I do. I’m nowhere near as unobservant as people think. I also think that Derek has an idea but is putting off meeting him.”

“Why?”

“Well – it’s got to be a little intimidating. There are rarely two soul-mates in a person’s life. That either means that Chris’s relationship with Victoria ended with a tragedy or they married for – other reasons.”

“God, Gerard Argent was a complete asshole.” She lifted her mug in salute.

“Amen to that! I know that Gerard was – _averse_ – to the idea that he had such little control in his children’s lives but I never imagined that he would interfere in such a fashion. At least Chris got Allison out of it – she’s a delightful girl.”

“Yes, she is. Fortunately doesn’t take after her aunt.” Noah gave a melodramatic shudder. “That one was cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs!” 

“Is that official terminology?”

“Ha-ha! You know what I mean. But back to the subject at hand.”

“Ah, you mean Stiles and Peter.”

“I do. Talia – I know he’s your brother, but I’ve arrested him on numerous occasions!”

“All for petty things when he was much, much younger! Noah, you know Peter was a late-life baby for my parents – I practically raised him. Beneath that sardonic, self-opinionated, sarcastic, diva-esque – where was I going with that?” Fortunately, Noah smiled and she knew it was going to be okay. He just needed a little reassurance. “He’s a good man. He’s settled – done all of his exploring and sowing of wild oats. He’ll encourage Stiles to go to college and follow whatever career path appeals to him – I mean, Noah, this is a dream come true for a lot of parents.”

“Parents who haven’t brought up the delinquent that masquerades as my son! Can you imagine the damage the two of them can do when they get together?” Talia stopped drinking her coffee and gave it some thought. 

“Okay, so not absolutely ideal, but you can’t deny that fate not only has a sense of humour, but she has flair too! I mean – did you see what Peter had to wear to work today? We thought yesterday was bad enough – he looked like a refugee from a biker bar!” They shared a chuckle at the imagery, knowing that Peter was quite proud of his sartorial elegance.

“Do we tell them?”

“I don’t know – I really don’t. Would you have wanted someone to tell you about Claudia?” Noah took a sip of his coffee, giving a sigh of appreciation. 

“No – I don’t think I would. It was part of the fun – well you know that, you were there for it all.”

“I was indeed. And I wouldn’t want to deny Peter or Stiles the same opportunity to learn about each other.” She tried to think how to phrase the next thing she wanted to say carefully, then decided why change the habit of a lifetime – she was just going to say what she was thinking. “Noah – I know things have been tough, both financially and emotionally since Claudia passed away. The Hales are well set up – we’ll be able to pay for Stiles to go to school _wherever_ he wants to go. And would it be such a bad thing – for us finally to be family in name as well as feelings? You know that you’re one of our closest friends – I think this could be good for all of us.”

“You always were blunt and to the point – I always liked that about you. Just – if you get wind of anything that could lead to either of them getting arrested, would you give me a heads-up, please? The whole department is already putting down bets on who Stiles is going to end up with – they’re enjoying this far too much already and I feel like it’s only just getting started.”

“I promise – if Peter comes up with anything _too_ wild, I’ll let you know.”

“Would you like in on the pot?”

“Noah! That would be cheating!”

“Fair point.”

“But I will lay a bet with you on how long it takes _them_ to catch on!”

* * *

Peter stood in the office doorway, watching as Chris pecked away at his laptop with two fingers. 

“Are you ever going to begin officially courting my nephew?” Chris looked up with a start, taking a double-take at Peter’s outfit. 

“Um – that’s a look.”

“Don’t change the subject. We were discussing Derek.”

“Peter – we’ve talked about this. Derek is too young to be tied down to all of the nonsense that my life entails. My daughter is the same age as him.”

“Christopher – you’re hardly ancient. In fact, with that little bit of grey in your hair, you could be seen as a silver fox.” Peter grinned as Chris automatically raised his hand to his hair, chuckling at the dark glare sent his way. “Derek’s always been older than his years – you’d be good for him.”

“Well I’m glad I’ve got your blessing, but somehow I don’t think Talia would appreciate me burdening her only son with the daughter and mad sister I handle on a daily basis.”

“I thought Kate was doing well at Eichen.”

“Does _anyone_ do well at Eichen?” Chris sighed. “No, actually, she’s as well as can be expected. Still goes off on rants about how Beacon Hills needs to be cleansed of this mysticism – as if we’re the only county that follows the rules on soul-mates. I just – “

“It’s not easy, I can appreciate that.” He walked into Chris’s office, taking a seat opposite him. “How about you just come for dinner? You don’t have to say anything but you might find spending a little time with him reassures you. And then you could stop walking around like you’re auditioning for a role in Top Gun. Although those aviators do suit you.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t said anything to him yet.”

“Well, I personally think it’s obvious – this whole camouflage thing you seem to have on your mind is a dead give-away.”

“It’s not my fault – I went to that hunter’s seminar and I can’t get some of the imagery out of my head!”

“Yes, well, it would be nice to see my nephew dressed like a normal teenager occasionally.”

“Since we’re on the subject of soul mates – have you figured out who yours is yet?”

“No, not yet. It was only yesterday that it all began. But as you can see, he – or she – has a very relaxed idea of correct attire.”

“Either that or they’re messing with you. What did you do?”

“Nothing! Why does everyone assume it was me who began this?” Chris raised an eyebrow at him and Peter slumped back into his seat with a sigh. “Breakfast choices should not be seen as the beginning of a one-upmanship war.”

“Oh good God! You inflicted your healthy stuff on a teenager? If I tried to get Allison to eat what you do for breakfast, she’d revolt and rightfully so! Teenagers live on e-numbers and food colouring.”

“Yes, I had noticed that. I need something distinctive, something that they can’t hide which would enable me to figure out who they are.”

“Peter – what are you planning?”

“I’m not quite sure – but don’t worry, nothing illegal. I saw the Sheriff as I pulled in – anything wrong?”

“No – Noah was just checking in about the latest law enforcement artillery.”

“Ah, I see – gun stuff.” Peter got to his feet then gave his friend a considering look. “Chris – when was the last time you went paintballing?”

“Where is that coming from?”

“I’m not sure – I just have the strangest urge to go paintballing. What harm could it do? Burn off some frustrations – have a drink or two. I could invite Derek and Cora.”

“And coincidentally, they could invite some people from school.”

“Why Chris – it’s almost as if you think I’m being conniving!”

“As if you would do such a thing! Okay, fine – I’m in! Can I bring Allison?”

“The more the merrier – especially if they’re already soul-linked.” With a pleased nod, Peter headed back to his office. Despite the unexpected comfort of his attire, he did have some work he needed to do.

* * *

“I can’t you made me miss lacrosse practice for this.” Scott trailed behind Stiles as he strode purposefully down the aisle in the pharmacy.

“Come on, Scott – I’d do the same for you.”

“I’m not sure I’d be asking you to help me in quite this way.”

“What’s the harm? I mean – we’re not talking about permanent.”

“Stiles – most of the colours you’re looking into are not even remotely subtle.” There was a truly boggling array of choices but Scott noticed that Stiles was most interested in the less traditional colours.

“That’s the point – I want to be absolutely positive when I spot them. So, none of this dishwater blonde or slight pink. I needed to see what colours are available so I know what to think about.”

“And you think it will work?”

“I don’t see why not!”

“Well, your pyjamas plan didn’t work.”

“How was I meant to know that so many people’s soul mates thought wearing pyjamas during the daytime was a normal thing to do. I really thought it would make them stand out. I mean, not like Greenberg stand out – but, you know, make it easier to spot them.”

Scott shuddered.

“Yeah – I did not need to see what Greenberg considered his sexiest attire.”

“Coach seemed to like it.”

“I rest my case. Can we stop talking about Coach and Greenberg please – ever since they got together, it’s all got a bit nauseating. He calls Coach Cupcake, Stiles.”

“Like you won’t be as sickening when you find your soul link.”

“I thought it might be Allison for a while.” Stiles gave his shoulder a commiserating pat.

“I know, buddy. But you’ve seen her and Isaac together – a match made in heaven.”

“I guess so.” Scott sighed. “And they managed to find each other _without_ making the other person do anything outrageous. Stiles – I know that look.” Scott watched in horror as Stiles picked up one of the boxes of permanent hair dye from the display, an unholy grin crossing his face. “Stiles – NO!”

“Scott – YES!” Knowing that it was nearly impossible to stop Stiles once he got an idea into his head, Scott followed his best friend out of the pharmacy. It looked like they should be able to spot Stiles’ soul mate from quite a distance if he was able to convince them to go ahead with this change. God help them.

* * *


	4. Paintballing

[ ](https://imgur.com/8PXPAxb)

* * *

Stiles only believed that Scott hadn’t told tales on him because his Dad was already there with his leaflets and reminders when they got back from the pharmacy and his friend hadn’t had the chance to cave in under parental pressure and spill secrets.

“I don’t need to read all of these – I know what they say!”

“Stiles – it would be remiss of me if I didn’t give you all of this information. You wouldn’t believe the idiotic things people do to their soul mate in the name of revenge or in an attempt to find them. It’s all fun and games plotting things you can do when you have a certain amount of control over another person, but it needs to be handled responsibly. So – read them, sign the paperwork, make your old man happy, okay?”

Huffing a sigh, Stiles took the offered paperwork and began to read them. 

“It says no cosmetic changes.”

“Yeah – I know it sounds like a real asshole move, but some people have tried to influence their soul-mates into plastic surgery and all sorts of shit. Just – imagine losing so much autonomy that you change something fundamental about yourself because someone else implants that suggestion.”

“Yeah – that would be a real asshole thing to do,” he murmured in response, brain ticking over. Somehow the idea of making whoever his soul-mate was dye their hair electric blue for Stiles’ amusement didn’t sound so funny any longer.

“Got any plans for the weekend? Apart from keeping your eyes peeled?”

“Hmm? Dunno. Actually, someone mentioned something in one of the chats – paintballing.”

“Stiles – “

“What? That ban expired two months ago and I’m sure things will be fine this time.”

“Just don’t get yourself arrested, okay?”

“I know, I know.” Taking the paperwork with him, Stiles headed up to his room.

* * *

The weekend arrived after an interminable week of frustration, although the latter part of it was quiet. No food changes, no weird outfit choices – it was as if the entire soul link had shut down. In an attempt to be respectful – who knew if his soul mate was going through something – Peter made a real effort to show control over his thoughts and tried to repay the favour. The ribbing over his biker look in court had passed, and it could almost have felt like none of it had happened. If it wasn’t for this itch he had to go paintballing.

He’d heard of it – fate giving you a helpful shove in the direction of where your soul-mate would be, so he didn’t resist it too hard. Besides, he could do with shooting a few things and when the Hales got together, they could make quite a formidable team.

“Uncle Peter,” Derek said as they climbed out of the car, “it would be really nice if you didn’t get us banned from this place.”

“Derek – I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“He’s talking about your bloodthirsty attitude that got us kicked out of that laser-quest place in San Francisco when we went to visit Uncle Mark.”

“Thank you, Cora.”

“He has a point.”

“Et tu, Chris?” Peter turned to greet his friend who was trailed by his daughter, Allison. “Cora, Derek – I don’t believe you’ve met the person I share office space with. This is Chris and his daughter, Allison. Chris, this is my niece Cora and my nephew – “

“Derek.”

“Chris.” There weren’t quite harps and cherubs, but there might as well have been. The zing in the air as Chris and Derek’s hands met was palpable, and Peter didn’t need Cora’s faux gagging noises to know that the match had been confirmed. 

“You two are going to be completely useless today, aren’t you?” With a sigh, Peter walked around Chris and Derek and followed Cora and Allison into the building. Shortly afterwards, suited and booted, he was ready to cause some carnage. The two girls were more than happy to form a small team, and Derek and Chris got themselves ready to join in even if it was obvious that their minds were not on the battle ahead. There was already a group present who seemed amenable to the idea of being their ‘enemy’ and Peter was looking forward to an afternoon of menace and mayhem.

“You don’t mind being labelled as one of the Hales do you, Allison?” Peter asked as he affixed one of the family’s name tags to her back. 

“No problem at all, although I’m going to be a Lahey soon enough. Especially with Dad finally accepting that fate wants him to be happy and meeting Derek, I can follow my dreams.” She turned and dimpled a smile at him as she worked to open the clasp of her helmet.

“Oh? What dreams are they?” She seemed such a sweet girl – if there was something he could do to help her achieve her dreams (and enable Chris to carry fewer burdens), he was more than prepared to do so.

“I’ve found a Mentor I wish to train with for the next Olympics but they’re overseas. I didn’t want to leave Dad alone, but Isaac is more than happy to come with me and now that Dad’s finally shaken off the whole Argent heritage crap – well, he’s not the only one who’s been freed by meeting Derek.”

“Let me know where you’re going – I have access to many facilities and assets in various countries and might be able to help you. And don’t even _think_ about saying no – you’re family now.”

“Thank you, Peter. You know, you’re nowhere near as big an asshole as people have made you sound.” The cheeky smile she gave him disappeared under her helmet before he could reply and he decided she was going to fit into the family just fine.

* * *

Stiles was having a fantastic time. Well, apart from the lameness that was his team-members anyway. So far, Greenberg had proven to be useless and had wandered off to places unknown; Stiles knew Jackson and Danny had been picked off by the other team and he was pretty sure that the only reason Scott had survived so long was that he spent a lot of time on the sidelines trying to breathe. Having a team-mate who suffered from asthma could be a real bind but there was no chance in hell that he wasn’t having Scott on his side. 

In the meantime, Stiles was careering around the course, slowly but surely removing all of the Hales. Derek hadn’t seemed to give a shit when Stiles caught him on the shoulder, merely shrugging and heading towards the sidelines. Chris Argent, who Stiles knew through his Dad, followed Derek like a duckling and it made it clear just who Derek had been linked with, especially when they took each other’s hands. Very sweet, but just in case, Stiles shot Chris in the back to make sure he couldn’t come back onto the course. 

They’d brought in a ringer: Stiles recognised those bouncing, raven-black curls escaping from her helmet. She was almost as deadly as he was – not surprising considering her skill at archery, and he hadn’t managed to take her out yet. Cora was a surprise – she was all bull in a china shop, which meant she almost ran into Stiles’ rapid-fire, cursing up a storm when it registered that she was out. And then there was the other guy.

He vaguely knew about Peter Hale – mainly from his Dad telling tales of his exploits in court. He knew that he was a little older than Derek and Laura, but not by much and that he was a shit-hot lawyer. What Stiles hadn’t known was what a crack shot the guy was. It was a beautiful sight to watch him from one of his sniper perches as he assessed the enemy, then killed them off, each time with fabulously crafted shots that demonstrated quite clearly his skill-level. Stiles hated to say it about an opponent, but he might have been just a little in love with the guy.

That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to take him out though.

He had just managed to get himself into a perfect position when he heard movement behind him. It was Jackson and he was towing Scott along with him. 

“He got a bit too excited – not helped by that volley of shots you put over his head, asshole! He’s on the verge of an asthma attack – we need to get him out of here.”

All thought of his plotting gone from his mind, Stiles scrambled to his feet, accidentally sending off one last shot. He turned and saw that in a show of luck that fate herself must have crafted, he’d managed to hit Peter Hale smack in the middle of his forehead, the splatters obscuring his vision as he staggered backwards. Stiles was stuck between shock, horror and laughter as he registered what he’d done.

“Goddammit, Stiles, who did you maim this time?”

“I – it wasn’t deliberate!” Caught between checking that the guy was alright, and Scott who was starting to gasp for air, Stiles made the quick-fire decision to take care of his friend. He’d have to send an apology to Peter through Derek or something!

* * *


	5. Close Encounter

[ ](https://imgur.com/qROW9Ts)

* * *

As the son of a civil servant, Stiles was well aware that money didn’t grow on trees. Even when his mother had been alive, as a librarian, although they had made a decent enough living they had never been what others might call rich – barely comfortably off would have been a better term.

So as a budding entrepreneur, he did a few things to make money on the side – the Jeep needed gas and duct tape. His most lucrative business was selling the essays he wrote during his research benders on-line. He was discreet – he didn’t want to end up like Danny, on some government watch list – but he made a fair bit of money. Well, enough to gas the Jeep, splurge every now and then and build a little nest-egg for college. 

But he was never going to be the type of person to splash the cash – not unless he found himself a Sugar Daddy anyway. Well after everyone else was asleep and he’d finished making apology baklava to send to Derek and his Uncle, he found himself online gaping at the cost of flights to various places of interest. How could it possibly cost that much to fly to Phoenix of all places? Who would _want_ to go to Phoenix? Even the economy tickets seemed exorbitant, but one look at First Class prices had Stiles throwing his laptop down in disgust. One of these days, the amount of money some people would spend for a little extra legroom wouldn’t surprise him, but today was not one of those days.

* * *

”Where are you going?” Peter halted in his packing and turned to his sister.

“Got to do a follow-up to a deposition in Phoenix. I should only be a day or so.”

“I’m not sure whether or not I should thank you for Derek and Chris.” Peter smiled, well aware of how conflicted his sister felt. Derek was her only son and a little bit of a Momma’s boy, so letting him go was going to be hard. 

“Chris is a good man – he’ll look after Derek. Look how well he takes care of that psycho of a sister of his, and he doesn’t even like her.”

“Fair point.” Talia sat on the bed, watching him folding his shirts just so. “Flight all booked?”

“Yep – I did it myself. You know how particular I am about my flying arrangements.” The Hales were well off financially, and as someone who flew frequently, Peter enjoyed the perks of that wealth. Case in point: he never flew unless he could fly First Class. He wasn’t a snob – he just liked certain things his way. 

“Don’t drink too much of the in-flight champagne otherwise you won’t be able to do any work once you get there.”

“I will only imbibe strictly as necessary,” he smirked, closing the case decisively. “Right, well I’m about ready and the car should be arriving shortly. Talia – if you should happen to come across any information regarding my soul-mate – “

His sister held up her hand as though she was swearing an oath in court as she said, “I do solemnly declare that I won’t be telling you a damn thing!” 

“Why does my entire family hate me so? Isn’t it enough that I suffered a potentially disfiguring injury in the process of helping my nephew find his true love?”

“Disfiguring?! Oh please, that barely left a mark – it was gone in just over six hours! Really, Peter, anyone would think that you’d been shot in the face on purpose!” 

“We don’t know that it wasn’t. Cheating little shit – it was just before they left the area, too, so I can’t help but wonder if he realised they were losing!”

“I heard it was an accident – a freak, once in a lifetime occurrence.” Talia looked shifty and Peter’s senses went onto alert.

“Talia – what are you hiding from me?”

“What? Nothing – don’t be ridiculous!” 

“What do you know?” The tooting of a car horn from outside made Peter sigh. “Talk about saved by the bell – this is not over, understand?” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! And if you’re wondering why none of your family will help you in this mad quest to drive your soul mate insane, perhaps you should consider that while you are the children’s favourite Uncle, you are also their biggest tormentor.”

“I know I am – but what’s your excuse?” 

“Off you go, Peter, you don’t want to miss your flight!” With a grimace, Peter grabbed his suitcase and headed for the airport.

* * *

”You never make me baklava,” Scott grumbled as he lifted the huge box in his hand and took a sniff. “It seems divine.”

“Dude – I shot someone in the face!! Do you realise what a faux pas that was? I mean – he could get me banned from the place for life! This is for the sake of any future paintballing expeditions we may want to undertake!” Stiles took the next left, driving slowly as he wasn’t sure of the directions. He knew the Hales lived out of town but he sure as hell hadn’t been expecting their driveway to be over a mile long. They lived in the middle of the Preserve, a beautiful stretch of forest and greenery that made him want to grab a picnic basket, a good book and just stretch out and relax. 

“Well, why did I have to come?”

“Because. Derek’s uncle might decide to kill me once he realises that it was me that shot him – I need you to drag my body back to my Dad.”

“Does that mean I get the Jeep?” Stiles threw Scott a wry glance.

“Really? That’s what you got from that? That you could keep Roscoe?”

“Well – I should get something for dragging your corpse back home.”

“Fair point, dude. Jesus Christ, this is like something out of a Gothic novel – I would **kill** to live somewhere like this!” Stiles barely glanced at the limousine parked to the right of the main steps as he gaped at the house. It was beautiful – it fit into the surroundings perfectly, with moss growing on some of the external walls, and what looked like additional buildings to the side. 

“Stiles – should we park here? That limo looks like it’s just waiting to leave.”

“We’re not going to be long – this is more of a dump and dash than socialising!” Walking to the front door, Stiles used the impressive knocker to announce their arrival. The door opened quicker than he expected, although the look of shock on Derek’s face was priceless.

“Stiles! What are you – “

“We brought apology baklava!”

“What?” Derek still appeared stunned, staring at them.

“For what happened at the shooting range – I think I hit your uncle in the face with one of my last shots. Total accident, dude.” Derek nodded along with what Stiles was saying but still didn’t seem to comprehend. Voices could be heard behind him and suddenly he was grabbing Stiles by the shirt and dragging him into the house.

“Come through to the kitchen – I’ll make coffee.”

“Okay – I mean, we just wanted to drop this stuff off and – “

“No, no – you have to stay and have something. You can’t leave yet!”

Stiles shared a look with Scott, who looked as confused as he felt. 

“Okay, sure. Your house is beautiful, dude – I would kill to live somewhere like this! Hey – are you okay?” Derek seemed to be choking, breaking out into a cough that sounded bad. Stiles wondered if he was going down with something.

“You like the house? I think it’s a bit big – but a lot of us live here so – you know.”

“Yeah, no – I live in a little place with my Dad. Something like this would be – “

“DEREK! Are you there? My limo needs to go and there’s an abomination of a vehicle blocking it in!” The voice was smooth and sexy, but the words were enough to make the hackles on the back of Stiles’ neck rise. 

“I’ll move it!” Scott grabbed the keys from Stiles before he could stop him. “You’ll just get into a fight defending Roscoe’s honour.” Derek was coughing again and Stiles decided that he definitely didn’t want whatever the dude had. Scott disappeared in the direction of the front door as Stiles took a seat at the counter. Derek opened the box and took a deep inhale, his eyes seeming to gleam slightly as he looked up at Stiles.

“You made this?”

“Yeah – seemed the least I could do.”

“Ah man – Uncle Peter is gonna be pissed he missed this. Baklava is his favourite.”

“Really? Well, maybe save him a piece – it was his face I shot up. Hey, is he around? I’d like to apologise in person.” Derek snorted.

“No, sorry, you just missed him.”

“Shame – he’s an amazing shot! I think we’d clean up if we ever teamed up!” Derek fell into a paroxysm of coughing and Stiles decided leaving might be a good idea – he didn’t want to pass anything on to his Dad. “Look, dude, like I said – I just wanted to apologise.”

“That was really cool of you, Stiles – thanks. And I’ll make sure Uncle Peter gets a piece. Are you sure you can’t stay? I’m sure my Mom would love to meet you.”

“Maybe another time – and think about taking something for that cough. It sounds bad.” He led the way back to the front door, seeing that Scott had reversed Roscoe out of the way of the limo that was just leaving. “Sweet limo, too – a little much for my tastes, but hey, it takes all sorts.”

“You should see some of the cars Uncle Peter has in the garage – he’s a bit of an enthusiast,” Derek replied, holding the front door open.

“Maybe another time – when you’re not contagious maybe!” He laughed at Derek’s look of confusion. “See you at school, Derek.”

“Yeah – see you around Stiles.” Stiles wasn’t sure, but he got the feeling that Derek was laughing at him.

* * *

”I’m sorry, what?”

“I have your booking right here, Mr Hale. Economy to Phoenix, as stated in your email.”

“That cannot be right – there is no way in hell I’m travelling economy!”

“I’m sorry, sir – I would offer you an upgrade but there are no more seats available. Unfortunately we offer a limited service on Sundays and the flight is fully booked. You **did** choose Economy, sir.” The lady behind the desk didn’t seem particularly apologetic and Peter took a deep breath, trying to turn on the charm.

“There’s no way I can be bumped up _at all_? I mean – it would be so appreciated if – “

“Enjoy your flight, Mr Hale.” Her tone was crisp as she held his documents out to him and Peter sighed, realising that he wasn’t going to win this battle. Economy – he had never flown economy in his entire life. This was going to be a complete and utter nightmare.

* * *


	6. Let me show you the world in my eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think this fic may have become my happy place!
> 
> * * *

[ ](https://imgur.com/PGEAYD0)

”Hey Dad, what if my soul mate is a supe?” 

Noah opened one eye blearily, registering that the film he and Stiles had settled down to watch appeared to have finished. He groaned, his position in his recliner nowhere near as comfortable as his bed. 

“What?”

“I mean, it _could_ be – it happens more than you think!”

“Stiles – why are we having this discussion now?”

“It just occurred to me. And I might have been doing some research online.” Stiles looked wide awake and perky and Noah silently kissed goodbye to the idea of continuing his nap.

“It could well be a supe. Does that bother you?” He didn’t think it would – when the supernaturals had come out to the wider community, Stiles had been one of the biggest supporters – mainly because he was a nosey little shit who wanted to know anything and everything about what they could do, what creatures existed and was the stuff he read on the internet true? 

“Nope – although, they might be bothered by me. I mean, let’s be honest – I’m not exactly a catch.”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that, son. **Anyone** would be lucky to get you, irritating little shit that you can be on occasion. Claudia and I produced someone special and don’t you forget it.” Noah sat up straighter, groaning as his back complained. 

“You have to say that – you’re my Dad.”

“I don’t have to say that – not everyone would consider themselves lucky to get someone like, say, Matt Daehler.” Stiles grimaced and nodded. The story of Matt Daehler and his attempt to subvert the entire soul-mates system by declaring that Allison Argent was his soul-mate, no matter what anyone else might say and the lengths he went to in his attempts to prove it were a sorry tale indeed.

“Fair point.” Stiles was worrying at his lip, and Noah could tell his son wasn’t going to let this go. He considered telling Stiles about Peter but wasn’t sure he was ready for the deadly duo to get together just yet. “If I asked you, would you tell me if someone at my school is a supe?”

“Stiles – you know the laws around that kind of thing. Unless they announce themselves, we’re not allowed to give that kind of information out.”

“So there **are** supes at my school!” Stiles looked triumphant and Noah inwardly cursed. Half asleep was no state in which to deal with his son, who was more than capable of making leaps of logic that confounded Noah at the best of times. 

“I didn’t say that – and in order to avoid the rest of the interrogation I can see you clearly have planned, I am taking my old ass up to bed. Don’t forget to check the doors and turn everything off before you turn in. And Stiles?”

“Yes, Dad?”

“You are special, and your soul mate will know and appreciate that. Okay?”

“Thanks, Dad – I love you too.” Noah took himself off to bed, wondering whether or not he needed to change the date he had bet on with Talia.

* * *

”Did you know it was Cora Hale’s birthday today?”

Scott turned to look at Stiles, not quite sure where the conversation was going.

“Vaguely. Why – is it a big deal?”

“It could be! I have a theory about the Hales.”

“Stiles, you have a theory about everyone and everything! Remember when you thought Jackson was a giant murderous lizard?” Scott carried his tray over to their normal seats, staring down at the contents with confusion.

“I was half right – he can be a real cold-blooded bastard on occasion and I’m pretty sure lizards are cold-blooded.”

“I’m not sure that follows. Stiles – why did you let me choose the quiche? I **hate** quiche!” Stiles gave him a wide-eyed stare which was all the warning he got before Cora Hale sat down in the seat next to him. 

“Okay, dumb-ass, gimme your hand.”

“Are you talking to me?” Scott turned to Stiles, hoping for some kind of explanation.

“No, I’m talking to the cauliflower sitting opposite you! Of course I’m talking to you. Now, gimme your hand.” Cora looked done with the entire conversation which further confused Scott as she was the one who had initiated it.

“Um – Cora – I’m not sure I _want_ to give you my hand. You look like you might tear if off at the shoulder and beat me with the bloody end.” Scott looked up as Derek Hale took a seat next to Stiles, casually stealing one of his curly fries.

“Good God, why do people have to make this so difficult?!” Cora exclaimed, looking to her brother for assistance. Unfortunately, Derek was saying something to Stiles which meant that her inattention didn’t last long enough for Scott to make a break for it. 

“My uncle said to tell you that he’s sincerely sorry for the insult he levered at your vehicle and to give you this in thanks for the baklava.” Derek handed a slip of paper over to Stiles, who crammed a handful of curly fries into his mouth before accepting it.

“Dude! This is for a full set of tyres!”

“Yeah – he said he noticed that yours were verging on bald and felt like he should do something about that. Public safety and all that.” Derek was smirking and Scott wondered what was going on.

“Damn! If that’s all it takes to get a full set of tyres, tell me what else he likes to eat – I can bake anything!” 

“He’s got a bit of a thing for New York Baked cheesecake actually – but he can be a bit of a snob about it,” Derek replied and Scott realised he was going to have to ask for intervention before Stiles went off on one of his baking rants. 

“Stiles – “

“Yeah, buddy?”

“A little help here?” Stiles seemed to realise that he was missing something between Scott and Cora, turning to look at her. 

“Are you intending him physical harm? Because he’s a warm, squishy human with weak lungs and I’m kinda attached to him.”

“You didn’t have to mention the asthma – wait, what did you mean, squishy human?” Scott turned, mouth agape to look at Cora, who flashed amber eyes at him. “Oh my God, are you – “

“Sssh! Christ – just gimme your hand so we can get this over and done with!” Scott took the time to really look at Cora, realising that she was very pretty. She’d recently cut her hair into some kind of shaggy bob and was wearing bright red lipstick paired with a studded leather jacket. He was honest enough with himself to admit that the whole look worked for him – if he was imagining what his soul mate would look like, Cora wasn’t far off, especially in the outfit she was rocking today. An idea crept into his head, and he flicked glances at Stiles, Derek and Cora who all seemed to be waiting on him. 

“Are you thinking – I mean, it’s your birthday and – “

“Scott – do you like quiche?” Derek asked him, and Scott looked at him, confused by the random question. 

“No – I hate the stuff. Something about the way the cheese is cooked.”

“Then why did you choose it today? Think about it. Because I know that Cora absolutely loves quiche – freak that she is.”

“Oh my God, you think – “

“GIVE ME YOUR HAND!” Scott held out his hand without thinking, gasping as Cora grabbed it with her own and he felt something click inside him. 

“Wow!”

“Wow!”

“Welcome to the family, Scott.” Derek smiled at him, then patted Stiles on the back and left. 

“My house after school – bring your dumb friend with you if you want.” Cora leaned over and kissed his cheek, a pretty blush on her cheeks despite her tone of voice. As she left, Scott turned to Stiles, unable to speak.

“How the hell did you find your soul-mate without even having to look, whilst I’m left baking for a potential Sugar Daddy while my soul-mate does sweet fuck all to find me?”

“Stiles – you have to come with me today!”

“No way, bud! I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“I promise – you won’t be a third wheel. What if her Mom is there? I don’t know how to talk to Moms! And they’re supes – they practically admitted it! Stiles – you **have** to come with me!” He gave Stiles the biggest puppy eyes he could muster.

“Scott – “

“Please? Dude – she terrifies me almost as much as she turns me on!”

“I so didn’t need to know that!”

* * *

All day, Peter couldn’t get the craving for Baked New York cheesecake out of his mind, despite the three pieces of baklava he had already consumed that day.

* * *


	7. You'll Be the Death of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To the wondrous beauty that is New York Baked Cheesecake
> 
> * * *

[ ](https://imgur.com/m5iR1vh)

* * *

”Who made this again?” Peter asked as he scraped his plate for the last remnants of the cheesecake.

“Hmm?” Talia was making coffee, putting together a tray of something and wool-gathering, giving Peter a vacant look.

“This cheesecake – it’s _almost_ as good as the one I had the last time I went to New York. It **definitely** wasn’t made by anyone in this house.” Peter looked down at his plate mournfully, accepting the fact that going back for thirds probably wasn’t a good idea. 

“You liked that, did you?” Talia had a mischievous look on her face.

“I did – it was almost up to standard. What are you smirking about?”

“Did I tell you Cora found her soul-match today?”

“Really? That was quick!”

“Yes – they’re in the viewing room watching a movie, I believe. Seems like a nice enough boy.”

“Well that won’t last long with Cora.”

“Peter!” Talia protested, her laughter ruining the effect slightly. “She’s not that bad!”

“She’s a blood-thirsty, evil child who I am proud to claim as my niece – which is more than I can say for that fluffy softy that Derek turned out to be!”

“He can’t help it if he has a gentle soul. And Christopher seems to appreciate it.” Talia looked smug, almost as if she’d been the one to introduce Derek to his soul-mark.

“I did tell you that Christopher would be a good match.” Peter sighed. He had been slacking lately in his attempts to find his soul-match. After the incident with having to fly economy – he inwardly shuddered at the memory – he hadn’t been in the mood to do very much at all. Apart from eat the baked goods that kept appearing in the house, apparently.

“He is indeed.” Talia poured a mug of coffee and looked at him. “Would you do me a favour and take this tray through to them? I said I would supply them with snacks if they would keep the mess to one area of the house, and I do like to keep my word.”

“Sure.” Peter snagged a red vine, popping it between his teeth as he grabbed the tray that Talia had prepared. He chewed it with relish as he made his way through the house towards the viewing room, the end dangling from his mouth. He recognised the sounds of the movie playing – extremely loudly – before he pushed the door open awkwardly, using his butt to bump it a little more open as the sounds of “Rise of Skywalker” got even louder.

* * *

With Derek texting Chris and Cora and Scott making out in the chairs behind him, Stiles wasn’t having the best afternoon. Yes, the viewing room was astounding – he had never been in a house big enough to have a _projector_ for viewing movies before, and the sound quality was amazing, but Scott still hadn’t seen the original Star Wars movies so had ruined the beginning of the movie by asking dumbass questions until Cora sticking her tongue down his throat had almost been a relief. Derek had been mildly entertaining initially – who knew he was a closet nerd who could argue characterisation with Stiles quite competently even if he was completely wrong about Chewbacca’s origins – but once he’d heard from Chris, he’d checked out.

Deciding not to pause the movie whilst he went to the bathroom, Stiles headed towards where he was pretty sure the door was, the darkness of the room exacerbated by the dark scene on the screen so that he didn’t see it that the door was opening until too late. He caught his dangling shoe-lace under his sneakers and toppled forward just as a very impressive rear came backing into the room. His head bounced off said rear and he careered backwards, landing on his ass just as a tray of snacks flew into the air and scattered all around him. 

He tried to scramble to his feet, but caught his head a glancing blow on the edge of one of the large comfortable chairs, the pain making him cry out even as he fell backwards again, his vision becoming dizzy. 

“Stiles!”

“Oh shit!” The voice was smooth, sexy and Stiles tried valiantly to open his eyes, managing a view of a thick neck, very nice lips twisted in an expression of concern and the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen just before he passed out.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay updating this - had a bit of a rough weekend sleep-wise - but hopefully approx 1000 words of cute will make up for it!

[ ](https://imgur.com/J7hYqpY)

* * *

“Stiles – you headbutted his ass!”

“I know, I know – you’ve said! You don’t have to be quite so gleeful about it!” Stiles rested his head on the pillow, moaning slightly at the pain. He had a class A headache, and Scott was in charge of waking him up and checking that he didn’t have a concussion. It was proving to be quite irritating.

“He didn’t seem to mind though.”

“What?”

“Peter – he didn’t seem to mind. I think he was checking you out.” Scott plopped down onto the bed next to Stiles, jolting his head and making him groan again. 

“Ugh, no thanks! By his age, he’s _bound_ to have a soul-match and if he’s leering at me when he’s taken, he’s not my type.”

“Hmm,” Scott replied, his face now buried in a pillow. 

“Are you falling asleep?”

“Hmm, maybe. Isn’t Cora – something?” Scott muttered, his voice drowsy. 

“Yeah, she’s something alright.”

“I can’t figure out if I should run away screaming or just accept my fate.” Scott didn’t sound like he wanted to run anywhere. 

“Buddy, I don’t think there’s anywhere you could run that she wouldn’t find you.”

“Isn’t that great, Stiles? To be wanted that much. And she doesn’t care about the asthma, either.” Scott sighed then gave what Stiles recognised as his pre-sleep snore. 

“Yeah, buddy, it’s great.” Lying listening to Scott sleeping wasn’t an unusual experience and his head wasn’t hurting too badly, so maybe tonight wasn’t a complete waste. His cell ringing made him jump slightly and fumble to find it. “Yeah?” 

“Would it be possible to speak to Stiles please?” He didn’t recognise the voice, and the slightly formal tone was unexpected.

“This is him – I mean, I’m Stiles – I mean, yeah.”

“Good evening, Stiles. This is Peter Hale – I wanted to apologise for what happened.”

“Hardly your fault, dude – I was the one who went head first into your ass – okay, that came out sounding wrong – not that there’s anything wrong with going head-first into someone’s ass, although that would take a fuck-ton of lube and I’m not sure it’s physically possible but – “

“Stiles!”

“Yeah, sorry – I tend to ramble when I’m unmedicated!”

“Are you unwell?”

“No, just my Adderal, man. And you didn’t call to end up in a conversation like this!”

“Oh I don’t know – it’s been most entertaining so far!”

“Dude – doesn’t your soul-match get pissed at how flirty you are?”

“As I haven’t met my soul-match yet, I couldn’t say.” 

“How come you haven’t met them yet?”

“Well, I can only assume that they have only recently had their birthday.” Stiles froze, his mind racing. That was a coincidence of epic proportions. Stiles refused to acknowledge the involuntary fist pump that happened in his mind.

“Really?”

“Yes. And, to be fair, I am attempting to accept that they might want a little time to get used to the idea.” Although Peter’s voice was still flirty, it had settled somewhat and Stiles found himself relaxing.

“That sounds – kinda cool, actually. It must be a bit of a shock at your age to suddenly find someone can invade your mind,” Stiles said cautiously.

“It was rather. There was an incident – I won’t go into details – where I realised that finding my soul-match might be entertaining but playing a few games beforehand might be fun too.” Stiles flushed bright red as he remembered the whole pyjamas incident. Could Peter be referring to that? “But I didn’t call for that. I wanted to apologise for knocking you out, and also for my comments regarding your vehicle. I must have sounded like an entitled asshole, which to be fair, I am.”

“The tyres made up for that – appreciated by the way.”

“It was the least I could do. And the baked goods have been amazing. I’ve had to up my physical activities to ensure that they do not go straight to my waistline.”

“Nothing wrong with what I saw of it! Shit!” Stiles cursed his unfiltered mouth, although Peter’s laugh seemed to say that he wasn’t insulted or upset. 

“Well, thank you! So – what can I possibly do to apologise for knocking you out with my ass?”

“Er – I dunno. I’m on concussion watch at the minute, although my observer has fallen asleep.”

“Really? So I could perhaps keep you talking for a while, ensure that you are healthy?”

“That would be cool.”

“And perhaps, I could invite you over to the house to watch the movie that was interrupted?”

“I’ve already seen it.” Stiles mentally kicked himself as he realised that he had just rejected Peter’s offer. “But I could watch it again!”

“No, no, I wouldn’t wish to bore you. Perhaps – through a client of mine, I appear to have a sneak preview of the Falcon and the Hawk episode one.”

“You are shitting me!” 

“Nope, not at all. Of course, it’s only a rough copy and I would have to make you sign a NDA – “

“I am so there!” Peter laughed at his eagerness and Stiles felt his entire body react to that pleased chuckle. If this was fate –

* * *

”Jesus, Stiles – you look awful!”

“Thanks, Dad!” Noah watched as Stiles poured himself a mug of coffee, his head lolling tiredly.

“Is it your head? Do we need to go to the hospital? When I heard – I’m sorry, kiddo, I thought Scott would be able to check on you and I was working but – “

“Oh this isn’t that! I was talking to Peter all night.”

“Peter?” 

“Yeah – he called to see how I was and when I told him Scott had crashed out, he talked to me all night. It was – fun.” Noah took in the smile on his son’s face and couldn’t decide if he wanted to ask the question in his mind or not. “He invited me over to their place to watch something else.”

“Did he?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, Dad – strictly hands-off.” The look on Stiles’ face told Noah that his son had more than an inkling of what was happening.

“Hands off?”

“Yeah – just spend a little time together, get to know each other – that kind of thing.”

“Oh, really?”

“That’s okay – right? I mean, it might be strange for some people if they think that – well, you know – but it’s kinda nice to just spend time with someone without anything heavy. Right?”

Noah sighed, realising that the relationship between Peter and Stiles wasn’t going to follow any of the normal standards. 

“That sounds really good, actually. No expectations, no pressure.”

Stiles gave a relieved smile, and despite the tiredness etched on his face, he looked really happy.

“Thanks, Dad. Although – we might be having a little talk about what certain people knew but didn’t share.”

“Is that the time? I gotta get some sleep before my shift later!” Noah stood and walked over to Stiles, hugging his son. “Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

* * *


	9. A popcorn worthy event

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter tries to get some privacy...
> 
> * * *

[ ](https://imgur.com/5vQmEcp)

* * *

”I will **pay** you to go out!” 

“And miss this? Not a chance in hell!” Peter growled at his niece, unimpressed when she merely giggled at him. “Oh come on, Uncle Peter, we all know what’s going on – do you blame us for wanting to be around for it?”

“I allowed you privacy when you met your soul-match!”

“You did not – you just weren’t there, so that’s a pile of horseshit!”

“Cora Hale! Language!”

“Sorry Mom, didn’t see you come in!” Peter turned to Talia, blinking rapidly as he took in her – costume. 

“Do you and your husband need a night away from the den? Your – outfits – have been becoming progressively more and more – um – “

“He’s just been watching a lot of superhero movies lately. But the chance for the night away sounds rather lovely.”

“Excellent! How about I spring for a night at the Hilton for the pair of you? Tonight work for you?”

“Peter – are you trying to get rid of me?” Talia sat down next to her daughter, pulling her into a hug. 

“Yes,” he replied at the same time as Cora spoke.

“He’s invited Stiles over and wants them to be _alone_!!”

“Stiles?” Talia attempted to hide her expression but Peter was onto her.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, sister-dear. And yes, I have invited him over to watch a preview of something. And a little privacy – “

“Privacy? Oh hell no – I’ll make popcorn for this event!” 

“You are a horrible sister and a worse alpha!” Peter flopped back into his chair, accepting defeat. In one last, pitiful attempt, he turned to his nephew who had just strolled in, a sappy smile on his face proof that he had been spending time with Christopher. “Derek – you’ll be on my side, won’t you? I would just like the opportunity to get to know Stiles without an audience. After all, I made sure you got an introduction to Christopher.”

Derek looked up and smiled at him, his eyes alight with mischief. 

“Sorry Uncle Peter – I promised Chris I’d record you two finally meeting and touching!”

“I seriously hate all of you!”

* * *

”Scott, you really don’t need to come with me.” Stiles span in a circle in his desk chair, stopping as a wave of dizziness overcame him. 

“But – you’re barely recovered from your concussion. Sorry I fell asleep by the way.”

“No big.”

“Yeah, so – you’re barely over your concussion and I feel that you should have someone drive you to keep you safe.”

“And nothing at all to do with seeing Cora again?” Stiles watched as Scott blushed bright red, his face going adorably dopey.

“Well, it would be nice to catch up with her again. Oh Stiles – she was texting me today and she is just the most amazing, frightening girl I’ve ever come across.” Scott threw himself back onto the bed and sighed clutching a pillow to his chest. 

“Amazing and frightening? Excellent combination there, bud!” 

“We were talking about what it’s like keeping secrets – you know, the whole supe thing – and she said she’ll show me her change the next time we meet. And I would _really_ like a chance to see that because – I don’t know, isn’t it amazing that she’s a _werewolf_!” Scott whispered the last word, as though there was someone eavesdropping. 

“Yes, Scott – it is truly amazing. And I can well understand why you would like to see that immediately. If I was dating a girl that got extra hairy once a month, I’d want to know what I was getting into – you might need a chainsaw or something to find her mouth to kiss her!” When Scott didn’t react, Stiles realised there was absolutely no point in trying to talk to his friend – Scott was firmly in Cora-induced la-la land!

* * *

Having texted Peter to let him know they were on their way, Stiles was excited. This was it – he was going to be meeting his soul-mate and feeling that zing when they touched. He didn’t even care that there might be an audience – it was finally happening. 

Pulling into the courtyard, he checked in his mirror to make sure he didn’t have anything in his teeth and that his hair was still relatively decent-looking. Scott had already piled out of the car, practically running to the front door in his eagerness to see Cora. 

Taking a deep breath, Stiles was about to turn off the engine and climb out of the car when the passenger door opened and Peter Hale was standing there. Before he could say anything, Peter climbed into the vehicle and slammed the door behind him, scrambling for his seatbelt. He was in tight jeans, a white vee-neck tee-shirt that made his neck look delicious, but his face was harried and he was obviously in a hurry.

“DRIVE!”

“What?”

“Just – drive! Anywhere – just get us away from here before the hordes descend!” With a nod, Stiles put his foot down and they left a spray of gravel behind them as they sped out of the courtyard and back down the road. In his rear-view mirror, Stiles could see two huge wolves staring at him, eyes glowing and mouths open as though they were laughing.

* * *


	10. It's just - a little touch....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge apologies for my continued absence. I've had a run of bad health, including an eye infection which had made writing damned near impossible! I thought this was going to go on for longer, but it seems like a nice place to leave it! If anything else occurs to me for this verse, I'll add it!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Much love  
> Skar  
> x
> 
> * * *

[ ](https://imgur.com/tu5N37v)

* * *

“I definitely owed you an apology for what I said about your vehicle – I would never have expected it to make it up here in one piece!” Peter gestured out of the window to the spectacular view. Stiles had driven them with efficiency and speed to one of the lesser-known make-out spots in Beacon Hills, and his Jeep had coped with the less-than-pristine driving conditions admirably.

“To be fair, before the gift of the tires, it probably wouldn’t have made it,” Stiles replied, flushing slightly. 

“Well, thank you once again for the speedy get-away – my family were choosing to be obnoxiously nosy and I didn’t particularly want to share – you – with them this evening,” Peter admitted, unable to stop himself staring at the younger man. With the moonlight streaming through the windscreen, Stiles’ skin was pale and enticing, his moles standing out starkly. 

“I kinda guessed that was Derek and Cora? I mean – unless – “

“You are correct – that was my niece and nephew showing a deplorable lack of tact and diplomacy – normally, we try to introduce that aspect of our character with a little more decorum.”

“Dude – it was awesome! And the glowing eyes – just, wow! Although you might need to be careful of Scott – when he gets too excited, he forgets to breathe which can put a real dampener on things!”

“Oh really?” Peter was surprised at the frisson of jealousy that went through him. He knew as well as anyone did that relationships happened outside of the soulbond – especially if there was an age gap or distance between the couple. But the idea that Stiles and Scott had been _intimate_ didn’t sit right. 

“Oh yeah! The number of times we’ve lost battles in Halo or C.O.D because he got too excited – innumerable!” replied Stiles and Peter smiled inwardly as he realised the type of excitement Stiles was talking about wasn’t what he had envisaged. Stiles turned and looked at him, a sly look crossing his face. “That wasn’t quite the excitement you thought I was talking about, was it?”

“Am I that easy to read?” Peter wondered out loud, unused to having someone read his expression with such accuracy.

“Kinda.” Stiles turned in his seat until he was facing Peter fully, openly staring as he looked him over from head to toe. “You suit the whole jeans thing – way better than suits I would have thought.”

“Ah, but you haven’t seen me filling out a John Varvatos suit,” Peter smirked, enjoying the scents of arousal filling the vehicle. “So, I take it the whole supernatural thing isn’t of concern?”

“Not really. No peeing on me though!” Peter snorted, unable to believe Stiles had come out with such an absurdity.

“I’ll cross that off your list of kinks, shall I?”

“Oh definitely! Does that mean _you_ have a list of kinks? Do I need a safe word? Do you want me to call you Daddy?”

“Nope, not one I’m interested in.”

“Good to know.” Following Stiles’ example, Peter allowed himself to look the young man fully up and down. He laughed out loud when Stiles pushed his seat back and held his arms out, giving Peter an unimpeded view. “This is the strangest thing I’ve ever experienced in my whole life. I mean – everyone I know meets their soul-match, makes grab hands and boom! You and me – we’ve never even touched! Well, apart from my head meeting your ass!” 

“It’ll make our story so much more entertaining to tell the grandchildren.”

“Grandchildren?” 

“There’s plenty of time, Stiles. Which, I think, is why the two of us have done things the way we have – neither of us is in a hurry, are we?”

“Speak for yourself – I want to see if your chest is as impressive as it appears in that shirt!” Again, Stiles surprised a laugh out of Peter. 

“But once we touch – “

“Feeling the weight of expectation?”

“Just a little – _concerned_ – that you, we don’t get swept along by things before it’s necessary. Don’t try to tell me that you’re not enjoying the anticipation just a little?”

“Well – yeah, sure. But – what if we’re wrong? What if we’ve made assumptions based on circumstantial evidence and after all of this – “ Unable to resist any longer – this boy was ridiculous in how much he appealed to Peter – Peter leaned forward and pressed a kiss to those gloriously pink lips. A clap of thunder could have gone off right next to his ear and he wouldn’t have been able to make himself stop: Stiles tasted so completely and utterly _right_ , his hands reaching to grab around Peter’s neck, his head tilting to place their mouths at the perfect angle. It was as though he had finally found his missing piece, the blood thrumming through his veins, his heart pounding. Unable to believe that they had wasted so much time on such niceties as talking when they could have been doing this, Peter leaned over the centre console so that he could devour Stiles mouth properly, hands cupping his ears so that he could hold him exactly where he wanted him. Judging by Stiles' heavy breathing and tight grip, Peter wasn’t alone in what he was feeling, and he could only thank the fates and God for the gift he had been given. Fumbling slightly, Peter found the handle at the side of Stiles’ seat that enabled him to make it recline, following him down as he climbed completely over to that side of the car and came to rest comfortably on top of that gorgeously lithe body. 

Stiles obliged by spreading his legs, allowing them that absolutely necessary bit closer, and Peter moaned into his open-mouth at the feel of his arousal pressing against the front of his jeans.

“Stiles – “

“Hmm?” 

“Perhaps we should head back – to where there are witnesses – or chaperones,” he muttered even whilst he was fighting against what felt like several layers of flannel and cotton to get to the smooth, soft skin of Stiles’ belly. 

“Yeah – maybe that would be a good idea – in a minute – “

“I don’t think your father would appreciate it if I fucked you in the front seat of your Jeep within five minutes of us confirming that we are soul-matches,” Peter continued, deftly undoing the button and fly of Stiles’ jeans. He groaned as Stiles followed suit, long-fingered hands working swiftly at the front of Peter’s jeans.

“We can tell them we just held hands,” Stiles panted, moaning as Peter managed to move denim out of the way and finally touch the hard thrust of arousal waiting for him. 

“Yeah – because they’re bound to believe that,” Peter agreed as he leaned back, shoving at the material around his hips as Stiles followed suit. 

“Holy shit!”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, you can take it!” Peter reassured him, but Stiles shook his head.

“Peter – the car’s moving!” Peter sat back again, turning to look out the window to realise that Stiles was correct – the vehicle was moving.

“What – how?!”

“The handbrake can be a little temperamental!” Stiles said, trying to get his hands onto the handbrake but prevented from doing so by Peter’s position. Tangled up in his jeans, Peter fell sideways into the passenger seat, completely obscuring Stiles’ vision and obstructing his attempts to get to the brake. 

“Temperamental?!” Peter gasped, smacking his head against the side of the door as he arched his hips uncomfortably, trying to pull his pants up as Stiles’ hands scrabbled beneath this body. There was a snapping sound and he looked down the length of his body to see that somehow, Stiles had pulled the handbrake so hard that part of it had come away in his hand. “Stiles – “

“Get out! Get out, get out!” Stiles shouted at him, turning and scrabbling for his door handle. Realising that the slope they were on meant there was little to stop their forward momentum, Peter managed to shove the car-door open and slither out onto the ground. Popping up, he was reassured to see that Stiles had made it out the other side, but the vehicle hadn’t stopped moving. “My car!”

Jumping to his feet, Peter rushed around to the front of the vehicle, hoping to use his strength to stop the car from sliding forward in the mud towards the edge of the track. Unfortunately, just as he made it to the front of the car, the bottom of the leg of his jeans entangled with his boot and he fell, fortunately managing to yank his legs out of the way of the wheels as they gained speed and almost ran him over. 

He could only lie on the ground, mouth agape, as Stiles chased his car to the edge of the hill, sliding to a halt as the Jeep disappeared from view.

* * *

”Son, do you want to explain to me just what happened again?” From the back of the police cruiser, Peter saw Stiles take a deep breath before turning to face his father. 

“You’re enjoying this far too much, old man.”

“Less of the old man, if you don’t mind! I have to fill in a report, and we need to get a tow company to see if they can retrieve the Jeep – “

“Obviously, I’ll pay for that,” Peter said.

“I’ll deal with you in a minute. When my son has explained to me, **properly** how a parked vehicle got away from both of you and drove itself off the edge of a hill. A hill known for clandestine meetings, I might add.”

“Dad! Clandestine meetings! Stop being an ass!” Stiles protested, his cheeks flushed bright red. 

“If I recall correctly, you told me this meeting with Peter was going to be strictly hands-off!” The Sheriff replied.

“Well, yeah but – we got a _little_ distracted and – “

“A little? Stiles – your Jeep is at the bottom of the cavern. That’s not a little distracted!” As they pulled into the courtyard in front of the Hale house, Peter could see that all of the downstairs lights were on, and he was pretty sure he could hear his sister and her husband laughing like hyenas behind the front door. Undoing his seat belt, he tried to open the rear door, only realising at the last minute that there were no handles. “I would have thought you’d remember, Hale – when you ride in the back, there are no handles.”

Noah smirked at him as he got out of the car and walked around the back to let Peter out. Stiles turned and looked at him through the mesh that separated the back of the vehicle from the front, a wide smile on his face. Peter couldn’t seem to stop himself giving a sappy grin back, the happiness on Stiles’ face infectious. 

“I am sorry about your vehicle – I will get in touch with a tow company tomorrow and get it taken to one of our garages. Perhaps I could give you a lift wherever you need to go in the meantime?” Remembering how attached he had been to his first car, Peter couldn’t understand why Stiles was smiling, although he wasn’t objecting. 

“Thanks, Dude, Roscoe means a lot to me,” Stiles nodded, still grinning. 

“What are you so happy about?”

“Peter – we _wrecked_ my car with one kiss – can you imagine what everything else is going to be like?” Peter was still laughing when Noah opened the back of the cruiser and kicked him out with the words ‘Breakfast, 9 am tomorrow” before he got back into the car and drove away.

Standing in his family courtyard, mud-encrusted jeans sticking uncomfortably to his legs, face and body similarly decorated, Peter couldn’t remember a time when he’d been happier.

* * *

**fin**

* * *


End file.
